Laughter echoed through the school courtyard as Nancy walked alongside her friends, the evening breeze carrying the sweet scent of blooming jasmine and freshly cooked festival treats.
The annual school festival was in full swing, and the air buzzed with excitement. Colorful lanterns swayed gently above, casting warm pools of light over the bustling crowd.
Nancy's heart fluttered whenever she caught sight of Taziel — her crush — chatting with his friends nearby. His easy smile and careless laughter made her cheeks flush, but tonight, she felt bold enough to glance his way a little longer.
"Come on, Nancy! You're staring again," teased Mira, nudging her playfully.
Nancy smiled, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I can't help it. It's the festival… everything feels magical tonight."
"It is magical," Mira said with a grin. "Literally. No classes, no Spellcasting Theory, no Curse Containment drills. Just fun."
Their school wasn't exactly ordinary. Though it looked like a regular old academy on the outside — stone buildings, oak doors, dusty blackboards — inside, they studied things most people would never believe.
Nancy's schedule was filled with strange, powerful subjects:
Runic Translation – decoding ancient magical languages.
Magical Herbology – mastering plants that could heal… or harm.
Defensive Enchantments – spells to protect both body and soul.
Spirit Channeling – feared by many, a class where students risked glimpses into the veil between worlds.
Illusionary Arts – her favorite, where light and sound bent like dreams in motion.
She enjoyed some of them — especially Illusionary Arts, where spells danced like ribbons of color in the air. But still, she never really felt… powerful. Not like others did.
Not like Taziel, who made even the hardest wandwork look effortless.
Her friends giggled and pulled her toward the game stalls, their voices rising with cheer.
For a while, the world felt bright and carefree.
But as the sun dipped lower, a cold shadow crept over the courtyard.
Nancy paused, her eyes drawn to a flicker of movement near the ancient temple ruins beyond the school grounds.
A whisper floated on the wind — unintelligible but urgent.
Her heart tightened.
She shook her head, trying to dismiss the feeling. Yet the unease lingered, growing heavier with every passing moment.
The laughter and chatter around her dimmed as her gaze lingered on the shadow near the ruins. It wasn't just a trick of the light — it moved with purpose, sliding behind the gnarled branches of the ancient trees.
"Hey, Nancy?" Mira's voice pulled her back. "You okay?"
Nancy blinked and forced a smile. "Yeah, just… tired, I guess."
Taziel appeared beside them then, his usual easygoing grin lighting up his face. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
She laughed softly, heart pounding. "Maybe I did."
The three of them continued toward the festival stage, but Nancy's thoughts kept drifting back to that shadow — that whisper.
As night fully settled, lanterns flickered in the breeze, and the festival songs swelled louder.
But somewhere beneath the music, a cold murmur echoed, crawling up Nancy's spine.
Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.
A voice whispered — soft and urgent — just beyond hearing.
"Remember."
She swallowed hard, eyes darting back toward the ruins.
The shadow was gone.
But in its place — something else stood.
Eyes glowing faintly. Watching her.
Not moving. Not blinking.
Just waiting.
Nancy took a step back, her breath caught in her throat.
Then — the lights on the festival stage flickered.
A scream rang out in the distance.
And everything changed...